Everyone suffers from stress and anxiety from time to time. We often encounter problems that cause undue stress and worry. This is a normal part of life and is nothing to be concerned about. When does it go beyond the limits of normal stress and progress into a disorder requiring treatment?
Anxiety affects you physically
Anxiety triggers a response in our bodies to enable us to act when danger is present. In a dangerous situation, we would be triggered to either run away or fight. It may be brought on in everyday life by such things as losing a job, a spouse, or the car breaking down. Running away or fighting will do no good and probably land you in jail, but we still suffer the physical effects. Your heart races, blood pressure rises, muscles tense, and sweat breaks out. Our bodies ready us for action, which we cannot act on so the physical symptoms continue causing damage to our bodies.
What Anxiety does to us mentally?
We also have emotional symptoms of anxiety. We may become obsessive, focusing on our problems excessively, becoming numb to the world and withdrawing from friends and family. A person may also develop addictions, from drug abuse to becoming addicted to other things such as sex or video games. Rituals and strange beliefs may also occur in persons suffering from severe anxiety.
When Should we Become Concerned about Anxiety?
If anxiety is interfering with your ability to function normally in your day-to-day life for long periods, it is time to take action. Having trouble sleeping occasionally because you are worried about something is not due to a serious disorder. Lying in bed for days or not wanting to leave the house however is cause for alarm and indicates you may have an anxiety disorder.
Your doctor can do tests to determine how severe the anxiety is and if you need treatment or not. A combination of treatments may be considered depending on the cause and extent of your problem. Some treatments include medications such as antidepressants, beta-blockers, and SSRI’s. Behavioral therapy, psychiatric help, and relaxation techniques may also be recommended.
You and your doctor will be able to work out the best treatment for your particular case. You may have to try different combinations of therapy and medications before you find what works the best. It is normal to have to do this and should be no cause for alarm.
There are also a number of high quality self-help resources available on the internet. See the "Recommended" section for more information.
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